Method of making piston-rings



S. D. HARTOG.

METHOD 0F MAKING PISTON RINGS.

APPLICATION FILED 1AN.24.1919.

1,351,989. Patented Dec. 14, 1920,

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7/ "l/'ii'. f' K g/ gm@ f vUNITED STATES ?ATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN I). HARTOG', GF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR, BY MES-NE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO INLAND MACHINE WORKS. GF ST. LOUIS. MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MIS- SOURI.

METHOD OF MAKING PISTON-RINGS.

Application filed January 24, 1919.

'o all w hom t may concern Be it known that I, STEPHEN D. HARTOG, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Method of Making Piston-Rings, of which the following is a specification.

rThis invention relates to the art of manufacturing piston rings.

An object of the invention is to improve the art of manufacturing piston rings by which rings of an improved and novel construction may be rapidly and economically produced.

Another object of the invention is to improve the art of manufacturing piston rings7 whereby rings having spaced overlapping end portions which will be pressed together when placed within the piston grooves, and which will also press laterally against the side walls of the grooves to provide a seal,

may be economically manufactured.

Other objects will appear from the following description in which reference is made to the drawing illustrating a ring in different stages of manufacture. in which drawings- Figure l is an elevation of a ring blank from which the ring may be constructed.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the ring blank after it has been cut or split circumferentially to a desired extent to provide overlapping ends.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of a finished ring produced by my improved -met-liod of manufacture.

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the ring blank shown in Fig, S viewed from another side.

5 is a view of the ring in connection with a chuck upon which the ring is .mounted for treatment.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the finished ring, showing also in dotted lines a cutter for cutting the groove in the innerI side of the ring.

As illustrated in l desired character to be constructed therefrom. As shown in 2 the ring blank is cut or split circumferentially for a desired distance to provide two overlapping ends separated by a slot 1; and cuts 2 are formed 5 from the ends of the slots to the side edges of the ring blank, thus leaving the overlap ping ends free for movement toward anc` Specification of Letters Patent.

Fig. l the ring blank is. of appropriate size to permit a ring of thev Patented Dec. 14, 1920.

Serial No. 272,831.

away from each other as permitted by the resiliency of the metal. As shown in Fig. 3 the cuts 2 are widened to permit compression of the ring and this widening of the cuts may be effected either by removing material from the ends of the overlapping portions or by expanding the ring blank and setting the material in the expanded shape to leave the spaces 2 of suiiicient size for the purposes desired. The periphery of the blank is then ground or cut to the proper contour.

Next, the spaced overlapping ends are pressed together and the ring is compressed within a binding ring 3 as shown in Fig. 5 and mounted upon an appropriate chuck. When so mounted the overlapping ends of the ring are held pressed together and the ring is held compressed until the ends of the overlapping portions abut against the adjacent shoulders of the ring. Then the side edges of the ring are ground or cut to produce a ring which is of uniform width throughout its circumference, while the overlapping ends are held pressed together in opposition to the resiliency of the material.

Either before or after the ring has been mounted on the chuck as shown in Fig. 5,the ring is cut to form a groove 4 on its inner periphery immediately opposite from the intermediate portions of the overlapping ends. The groove may be of any desired length to render the portion of the ring opposite the overlapping ends properly resilient to permit free movement Aof the overlapping ends toward and away from each other and without danger of weakening or breaking the overlapping ends from the remaining portion of the ring. It will be understood that the presence of the groove 4i somewhat equalizes the resistance or resiliency of the portion of the ring in which said groove is formed as compared with the resistance or resiliency of the overlapping ends. This is desirable for the purpose of enabling all portions of the ring to vield when the overlapping ends are spread apart or pressed toward each other. so that there is no undue or excessive strain'upon any portion of the ring.

After the ring has been iinished and re- Qmoved from the chuck or other fixture in hich it may be mounted for treatment. the

`overlapping' ends spread apart to their Y ed 1n the formed positions as Will be understood by reference to Fig. 6 in which it will be seen that the combined Width of the overlapping ends plus the space separating them is greater than the Width of the opposite portion of the ring in which the groove 4 is formed; but When the ring is compressed and the overlapping ends are pressed to gether sidewise the combined Width of the overlapping ends of the ring is the same as `the Width of the opposite portion of the ring.

When the ring is placed Within the groove of a piste-n and mounted Within a cylinder, the ring is compressed nearly to the position shown in Fig. 5 in which the overlapping ends of the ring are pressed together side- Wise, and the ends of the overlapping portions are close to the shoulders on the adj acent portion of the ring. Vhen thus mountgroove of a piston and compressed within a cylinder the overlapping ends of the ring press sidewise against the side Walls of the piston groove and, due to the presence of the groove 4, no undue strain is eX- crted upon any part of the ring. By pressing against the side Walls of the groove in which the ring is mounted the overlapping ends of the ring form a seal to prevent passage of the gas. The presence of the groove 4 furthermore tends to equalize the outward pressure of the ring against the cylinder Wall.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the order in which the ring is given certain steps of treatment is unimportant, and that the invention is not restricted in its scope to the performance of all of the steps 0f the treatment in any definite order. I do not restrict myself to unessential features of the invention, but what I claim and desire tofsecure by Letters Patent, is :h

1. The method of making a` piston ring which consists in splitting a ring blank to form spaced overlapping ends, and then removing portions froni the sides vof the bod portion of the material to form parallel sidia7 Walls, and from the sides of the overlapping circumference of the opposition to the resiliency of Aand finishing the ring to uniform Width ends until the ends have a combined Width equal to the Width of the body portion.

2. The method of making a piston ring, which consists in splitting a blank to form spaced overlapping ends for a portion of the blank, mechanically pressing the overlapping ends together, and removing portions of the blank While the overlapping ends are mechanically pressed together to form a finished ring in which the combined Width of the overlapping ends when pressed together is equal to the remaining portion of the ring.

3. The method of making a piston ring, which consists in splitting a blank to form spaced overlapping ends, and removing a portion of the materia-l from the inner side of the blank opposite from the overlapping ends to equalize the radial pressure of the ring When compressed Within a cylinder.

4. The method of making a piston ring, which consists in splitting a blank to form spaced overlapping ends, removing a portion of the material from the blank opposite the overlapping ends to equalize the radial resiliency ofthe blank and removing portions of the blank to form airing in which the overlapping ends are held spread apart by the resiliency of the material in positions in which the combined Width of the overlapping ends and the space between them is greater than the Width of the remaining portion of the ring, While the combined Width of the overlapping ends When pressed together is equal to the Width of the remaining portion of the ring. Y

5. The method of making a piston ring, which consists in splitting a ring blank to form overlapping ends for a portion of the circumference thereof; the inner periphery of the portion of the blank opposite from the overlapping ends; pressing theroverlapping ends together in the material;

While the overlapping ends areheld pressed ,togethen STEPHEN D. HAR-TCG.

forming a groove 1n 

